Candle holder



Jan. 1, 1957 S. H. DOIG CANDLE HOLDER Filed Nov. 9, 1955 United States Patent CANDLE HOLDER Stuart H. Doig, Marengo, Ill.

Application November 9, 1955, Serial No. 545,850

2 Claims. (Cl. 67-43) This invention relates to candle sticks or holders and more particularly to a novel holder having means for shaping either end of the candle.

Prior art candle stick displays have been subject to several disadvantages, such as the difliculty of supporting the candle in a vertical position within its holder, and also the tendency for the upper end of the candle to become unsightly after a short period of use in service.

The usual technique of anchoring the candle in a vertical position is to light the candle and permit it to burn until a small amount of molten wax forms in the upper end of the candle which is then inverted to deposit the molten wax into the holder. The bottom end of the candle is then quickly inserted into the holder and is adjusted to vertical position before the molten wax solidifies anchoring the candle in its vertical position. This method is not only inconvenient but frequently results in burned hands and the dripping of molten wax on the table or other support for the holder. Furthermore, the process may require repetition several times unless performed with precision as the amount of molten wax available to anchor the candle and as to the speed with which the candle is inverted and adjusted to the vertical after the wax has been deposited in the holder.

Expensive and complicated devices such as chucks have been devised for candle holders, but these have not been acceptable in the trade due to their expense and short life in service. Furthermore due to the nature of the wax of the candle or because the wick is not centered therein the burning end of the candle soon become irregular and not only drips wax on the candle holder and the surrounding area but also presents an unsightly appearance when the wick is snuffed and the candle is unlit.

According to an object of the present invention the candle holder comprises a container and a cap, the cap being formed at the bottom thereof with a pair of cutting edges which project upwardly from the bottom of the holder so that the candle may be inserted into the holder, adjusted to the vertical, and then rotated on a vertical axis to firmly and permanently lock the handle against displacement from its adjusted position without the use of wax.

Another object of the present invention is to reform the top of the candle after it has become irregular from burning. This object is accomplished by providing an aperture between the cutting edges of the holder, into which aperture, the wick is inserted before the candle is rotated to reform the top thereof by cutting with said edges.

A more specific object of the invention is to arrange the cutting edges in a downwardly diverging relationship to form the candle end in a taper.

The foregoing and other objects of the invention will become apparent from a consideration of the following specification and the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a side elevational view of a preferred embodiment of a novel candle holder embodying the inven- 2,775,882 Patented Jan. 1, 1957 tion, portions of the container and cap being broken away;

Figure 2 is a plan view of the cap;

Figures 3 and 4 are sectional views taken respectively, on lines 3-3 and 4-4 of Figure 2; and

Figure 5 is a view similar to Figure 1, showing the top end of a candle inserted into the cap for trimming, with the cap and container broken away, taken on the vertical plane indicated by line 5-5 of Figure 2.

Describing the invention in detail and referring first to Figure 1, it will be seenthat the novel candle holder comprises a container or shell 2 which is hollow and is closed by a bottom wall 4 adapted to seat on a table or other support.

The container is closed at its upper end by a readily removable cap 6 having a cyilndrical wall 8 snugly fitted in the container. The wall 8 is integrally formed with a conical wall 10 so that the bottom of the cap tapers downwardly to afford a tapering seat for the bottom of a candle 11.

The top of the cylindrical wall 8 is flanged as at 12 to afford an attractive and decorative design and to catch possible drippings of molten wax from the candle.

The bottom wall 10 is provided with a central hole 14 from which extend slots 16. The portions of the bottom Wall defining opposed edges of respective slots are bent upwardly to define oppositely facing cutting edges 18 and 20 which are preferably ground to knifelike sharpness.

As best seen in Figure 1, after the bottom end of the candle 11 has been inserted into the cap 6, either the cap or the candle may be rotated to trim the bottom of the candle to a taper corresponding to the taper of bottom wall 10. This not only affords a stable seat for the bottom of the candle holding it in a vertical position but also affords an interlock between the slots 16 and the bottom of the candle, particularly along the cutting edges 18 and 20 of the slots.

After the candle has been used, it may be trimmed at the upper end thereof for reuse by inverting the candle, as shown in Figure 3, and rotating either the candle 11 or the cap 6 until the top of the candle has been trimmed as desired. In trimming the top of the candle, the wick 22 thereof is inserted into the opening 14 so that the cutting edges 18 and 20 will not damage the wick as the top of the candle is trimmed.

It may be noted that during seating of the bottom end of the candle in the manner above described, trimmings are deposited in the container 2 for convenient storage and subsequent disposal after the candle has been completely used. In trimming the top end of the candle, the cap 6 may also be inserted in the container 2, so that trimmings are collected in the container, or if desired the cap 6 may be removed from the container 2 for convenient handling of the candle and cap during trimming if the collection of trimmings is not particularly desirable.

The container 2 may be formed of a flexible material such as cardboard, thin metal or plastic, whereby the container may be squeezed with one hand as the candle is rotated with the other hand during trimming. This prevents rotation of the cap 6 with the candle when the cap is in the container during a trimming operation on either end of the candle.

Thus it will be understood that the novel composite candle holder comprises a container for convenient storage of trimmings and comprises a cap which may be fitted into the container during trimming and which is supported by the container when the candle holder is supporting a candle in use. The cap comprises novel means at the bottom thereof for gripping the bottom end of the candle to hold it in vertical position during burning, said means constituting also cutting edges for trimming either end of the candle.

While the present invention has been explained and described with reference to specific embodiments of struc ture, it will be understood, nevertheless, that numerous modifications and variations are susceptible of being incorporated Without departure from the essential spirit or scope thereof. Accordingly, it is not intended for an understanding of this invention to be limited by the foregoing description nor by the illustrations in the annexed drawings, except as indicated in the hereinafter appended claims.

What is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent of the United States is as follows:

1. A candle holder comprising a container formed of flexible material and having a base portion to support the holder, a cap having an upright wall snugly and slideably fitted into said container, :1 flange on the top of said upright wall overlying the top of said container, a bottom wall connected to the bottom of said upright wall and sloping downwardly therefrom, a plurality of slots in said bottom wall, and knife-like cutting edges on said bottom Wall defining the sides of respective slots.

2. In a cap for a candle holder, the combination of an upright wall outwardly flanged at one end thereof, a downwardly tapering bottom wall connected to the other end of said upright wall, at least one slot through said bottom wall extending outwardly from the center of said bottom wall and an upwardly bent portion on said wall at one side of said slot partly defining said slot, the upper edge of said portion having a knife-like cutting edge for trimming a candle during relative rotation of the cap and candle while said candle engages said bottom wall.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,451,163 Hope Apr. 10, 1923 1,551,637 Bowlen Sept. 1, 1925 2,393,762 Gould Jan. 29, 1946 

